Associating and binding machine.



R. C.'SEYMOUR.

ASSOCIATING AND BINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 8, 1911.

1,213,425. Patented Jan. 23,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A50 dim 2m R. C. SEYMOUR.

ASSOCIATING AND BINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Dhcxa. 19H.

1,21 3,425. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i/bnaowo m: Nmzms PETERS m. ruumunlm. WASNINCYVN. o. c.

R. C. SEYMOUR.

ASSOCIATING AND BINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, I9II- Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- R. c. SEYMOUR.

ASSOCIATING AND BINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED DEC.B, 19H.

Patentd Jan. 23,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Mauve/Mex R. C. SEYMOUR.

ASSOCIATING AND BINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.8, I9II.

1,213,425.. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

wi/mmw: awwntoz 62% gm 95% 51mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH C. SEYMOUR, OF LARCI-IMONT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ASSOCIATING AND BINDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Original application filed July 10, 1909, Serial No. 506,956. Divided and this application filed December 8,

To all whomit may, concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH C. SEYMOUR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Larchmont, in the county of \Vestchester and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Associating and Binding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to machines for associating, binding and folding a plurality of sheets into a book, although certain of its features are useful in other connections.

Objects of the invention are to provide for associating a plurality of sheets together with either or both a. cover and an insert and to make them into a book of neat appearance and to perform the necessary operations with great rapidity; to provide for performing the various operations of making the books carefully and precisely but in such a relation to each other as to conduce to rapid production and a large product; to provide a novel and useful relative arrangement of mechanisms for successively acting on the sheets to make the book; to provide for exact and speedy control of the sheets at and between the binding and folding positions; to provide novel trimming devices and a novel method of trimming and handling the associated sheets. These and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part more fully appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel methods, parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and forming a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, the same serving in connection with the description herein to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a machine constructed in part in accordance with the principles of the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking at Fig. 1 from the left; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line AB of- Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are details of certain sheet handling devices; Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are details of the sheet trimming devices; and Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, are views showing somewhat diagrammatically the trimming and folding of a book.

Serial No. 66%,556.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example one embodiment of the invention, suitable means for associating a plurality of sheets are shown. The illustrated form thereof is adapted to operate upon a plurality of webs, or the various parts of a slit web. Suitable web forwarding means are provided including in the present embodiment devices for forwarding a multi-width web, and means for forwarding the slit sections thereof (which so far as concerns certain features of the invention might be separate webs). In the embodied form of such means a pair of rollers 80 are shown acting upon the multi-width web which is then slit into sections by the rotary slitters 81 and 82, which operate in a well known manner. After being slit, the sections of the web' are forwarded so as to be superimposed together by passing over turner bars and between rollers as will now be described more articularly. The three webs, or sections of web, indicated respectively by the numerals 1, 2 and 3 are shown directed into the machine and passing respectively over the turner bars 4, 5 and 6. In the present instance the webs are first associated and then cut. The webs are associated by being run between the rollers 7 and'S, or in any other suitable or convenient manner. Suitable sheet forming devices are provided, and the form thereof herein illustrated comprises rotary cutters 9 and 10. The bundle or stack of sheets is then directed forward by suitable means, the illustrated form thereof, comprising guide or throat bars 11.

According to certain features of the invention, means are provided for supplying the bundle of associated sheets either a cover, or an insert, or both. Accordingly in the illustrated embodiment a form of such means is provided. As the sheets pass along they are engaged by suitable grippers upon a cylinder 12 and may be supplied at this point with a cover. So far as concerns many features of the invention, the cover feeding means may be of any suitable and convenient form, and it is shown herein as comprising a feed board 13, sets of conveying tapes 14 and 15, and a suitable stop gate or front gage 16. These parts cooperate in a well-known manner to feed a cover to the cylinder 12, which'is taken by the grippers trolling the opening and closing action of these grippers may be provided at both the binding and folding positions if desired, and they may be generally of the form already shown and described in connection with the folding jaws. Springs 50 are shown pressing the jaws together, and trip fingers 51 and 52 which coact with cam pieces 53 and 54 to open the jaws against their springs may be provided.

The invention in one of its aspects provides means for trimming the edges of the book in such a manner that notwithstanding the sheets are of equal width and are folded one within the other successively, the edge of the folded book opposite the back will be substantially straight or uniform. Accord ing to one feature of the invention, the trimming means acts upon the sheets previous to their being folded and in accordance with a further feature of theinvention said means act to trim the sheets at the folding position and without any stoppage of the folding mechanism. The trimming means is shown, accordingly, constructed and arranged to trim the edges of the extended or unfolded sheets obliquely or slantingly. Thus the inner sheets are out just sufficiently smaller than the outer to compensate for the thickness of the successive unfolded sheets and so to present a straight edge after the fold is made. The illustrated form of such means shown herein comprises blades or shears 55 traveling in suitable blocks or guides 56. These may be arranged, if desired, with slots 69 in which travel pins 70 on the blades. The blades may be acted on by cams 57 to which they are held by springs 58, shown herein between the pins 70 and lugs 71 on the guides 56. The blades or cutters 55 move obliquely relatively to the plane of the sheets, and may work along the edges of a suitable support or table 59. Suitable means are provided for clamping or otherwise holding the edges of the sheets firmly in position during the trimming operation. The illustrated form thereof comprises clamping bars 60 for closing down upon the sheets, and moving away after the trimming operation to free them for delivery. The bars 60 may be provided with a beveled edge 61, if desired, to aid in giving a clean out during the trimming. The clamps 60 are shown mounted upon swinging arms 62, connected to the shaft 63. The shaft 63 is shown having fixed thereto an arm 65 in operative rela tion with a cam 66. If desired a yielding clamping action may be secured. A form of means for effecting this is accordingly provided. The form thereof shown comprises collars 69 fixed to the arms 62 and loosely mounted on shaft 63. Collars 69 are provided with lugs 67 in alinement with stops 68 on shaft 63, against which they are impelled by springs 64.

r a v.

The manner of operation of the hereindescribed mechanism is substantially as follows: The slit web or webs are run over the turner bars 4, 5 and 6 and are associated between the rolls 7 and 8 and are severed into bundles or stacks of sheets by the rotary cutters 9 and 10. They are then directed to the throat 11 and the cylinder 12. If a cover is to be supplied it will be released in proper relation by the gate 16 and taken up by the cylinder. The insert, when run, will also be supplied upon the opposite side of the sheet bundle by the mechanisms already described. After one or more revolutions of the cylinder 1, and with or without either the cover or insert, or both, the sheets are then conveyed along the path by the tapes 21 and 22, and are brought to rest in position for binding by the stop gate 40. They are then operated upon by the stitchers 24 and 25 which bind them together. The grippers 45 are reciprocated to and fro along their path of travel and grip the sheets while positioned against the gate 40. The gate 40 is then swung downwardly and the gripped sheets are conveyed along their path and brought to rest in position over the folding blade 26 by the grippers 45. The clamps 60 close down upon the edges of the sheet and press them against the table or support 59 and the blades 55 move upward obliquely and trim off the edges of the sheets. The folding jaws, swinging downwardly with their arms 28, fold the sheets over the blade 26 and the sheets, having been released by the clamps 60 and the grippers 45, are swung upwardly in the bite of the folding jaws to position above the folding pockets 34. The jaws are now opened by the action of the trip 36 upon the finger 35 and the book falls into the pocket upon the conveyer 34.

From all the foregoing it will be understood that a machine has been provided embodying and illustrating the principles of the invention and realizing the objects of invention and the advantages herein set forth, together with other objects and advantages.

The invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the particular constructions shown, nor to any particular constructions by which it has been or may be carried into effect, as many changes may be made in the construction without departing from the main principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 506,956, filed July 10, 1909, now Patent No. 1,011,864, December 12, 1911.

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located'on one side oftlie' webforwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices ,locatedon the other side of said web forwarding means,

means for assembling sheets fromsaid'sheet forwarding means with the web sheets and upon both sides ofthe web sheets, longitudinally arranged means for stitching the assembled sheets, and means for stopping the sheets while being stitched.

2. The combination with'web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet fin-warding means including timing devices located on rality of stitching devices arrangedlongi tudinally of the direction oftravelof the sheets for stitching the assembled "sheets.

3. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side'of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located" on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from saidsheet forwarding means with theweb sheets and upon both sides of the web sheets, a plurality of stitching devices arrangedlongi tudinally of the direction of travel of the sheets for stitching the assembled sheets, means for stopping the sheets whilebeing stitched and means for folding the stitched sheets.

4. The combination with web'forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means includ ing timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding meanswith the web sheets and upon both sides of'the web sheets, means for stitching the assembled sheets with a plurality of stitches arranged longitudinally of the direction of travel of the sheets, means for stopping thesheets while being stitched, means for conveying the stitched means for collecting sheets cut from the web, means for assembling sheets from'saicl 6. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located onone side of' the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices on the other side of said-web forwarding means, means for collecting sheets cut from-the web, means forassembling sheets from saidsheet forwarding means with the websh'eets, a tape pathway into which thecollected sheets are progressed from said collecting means, and a stationary stitching means located along said tape pathway and-adapted to make a plurality ofstitches longitudinally ofthe direction of travel of the sheets.

7. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means incl udingtimingdevices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for collecting sheets cut from the web, means for-assembling sheets from said forwarding means with the web sheets, a tape pathway into which the collected sheets are progressed from saidcolleotmg'means and a stationary stitchingmeans located along said tape pathway and means for momentarily stopping the sheets to be stitched to receive a plurality of stitches longitudinally of their direction oftravel.

8. The; combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from thewebs,.sheet forwarding means including.

timing devices located on one side of the, web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means includingv timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for collecting sheets out from the web, meansfor assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, and a tape path-way into which the collected sheets are together progressed directly from said collecting means, and a folding mechanism receiving'the sheets from said pathway,

9, The combination with web forwarding means, ofjdevices for severing, sheets from the webs, sheet-forwarding means in,- cluding timing devices located on one side ofthe web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located-on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets and upon both sides of the web sheets, means for stitching the assembled sheets at a plurality of places longitudinally of their direction of travel, and means for presenting the assembled sheets flat to the stitching means.

10. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet for warding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets and upon both sides of the web sheets, reciprocating means for stitching the assembled sheets at a plurality of places longitudinally of their direction of travel and means for presenting the assembled sheets fiat to the stitching means.

11. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are progressed, and stitching means for the assembled sheets including a plurality of stitching devices arranged longitudinally along said pathway.

12. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are progressed, a plurality of stationary stitching devices for the assembled sheets located longitudinally of said path way, and means for momentarily stopping the sheets to be stitched.

13. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the Web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are progressed, stitching means for the assembled sheets including a plurality of stitching devices arranged longi tudinally of said pathwayand driving the staples through from above.

14. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are progressed, stitching means for the assembled sheets including a plurality of stitching devices arranged longitudinally of said pathway driving'the staples through from above and means for folding the stitched sheets upwardly.

lb. The combination with Web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of. said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are directly progressed from said assembling means, and stitching means for the assembled sheets located along said pathway and adapted to make a plurality of stitches longitudinally of the sheets.

16. The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are directly progressed from said assembling means, stationary stitching means for simultaneously forming a plurality of stitches longitudinally of the assembled sheets and means for momentarily stopping the sheets to be stitched.

. 17 The combination with web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the other side of said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal pathway to which the assembled sheets are directly progressed from said assembling means, a plurality of stitching devices for the assembled sheets located in succession along said pathway, and driv= ing the staples through from above.

18. The combination with ,Web forwarding means, of devices for severing sheets from the webs, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on one side of the web forwarding means, sheet forwarding means including timing devices located on the'other sideof said web forwarding means, means for assembling sheets from said sheet forwarding means with the web sheets, a flat horizontal'pathway to which the assembled sheets are directly progressed from said assembling means, a plurality of stitching devices "for the assembled sheets located in succession along said pathway driving the staples through from above and means for folding the stitched sheet upwardly.

i 19. The combination of means for cutting sheets from a web, a cylinder for collecting the out sheets, means for progressing theeollect'ed sheets along a pathwayaw'ay from said" cylinder, and means for assembling extra sheets at each side of the collected web sheets, said assembling means including devices for'introducing a sheet at the juncture between said cylinder and said pathway.

20.T-he combination with means for cutting a plurality of sheets from a web and collecting them, stitching means, means for progressing sheets along a pathway, and means for assembling an extra sheet on each side of the collected web sheets, said assembling means including devices for introducing an extra sheet between the web sheet collecting means and the stitching means. i

21. The combination with means for cutting a plurality of sheets from a web and collecting them, of means for assembling an extra sheet on each side of the collected sheets, means for progressing said collected andassembled sheets together along a pathway, and a plurality of stitching devices arranged longitudinally of said pathway.

22. The combinationwith means for cutting a' plurality of sheets from a web and collecting them, of means for assembling an extra sheet on each side of the collected sheets, means for progressing said collected and assembled sheets together along a pathway, I i a plurality 'ofsimultaneously operable stitching devices arranged longitudinally" of said pathway. i

23. The combination withvmeans for cutting pluralitybf sheets' from a web and collecting them, of means for assemblingan extra sheet on each side of the collected sheetsfmeans for progressing said collected and assembled sheets together along a athway,"a'nd a plurality ofstationary s'titc hing devices arrangedlongitudinally of said pathway.

24. The combination with means for cutting a plurality ofsheets" from a Web and collecting them, of means for assembling an extra sheet on each side of the collected sheets, means for progressing said collected and assembled sheets" together along a path way, and a" plurality of' 'stationary and simultaneously operable stitching devices arranged longitudinally of said pathway,

25. The combination witlrme'ans for cutting a' plurality of sheets from a'web and collecting them, or means for assembling an extra sheet on each side of the collected sheets, means for progressing said collected and assembled sheets tegether along a path way, andstitching means adapted to make a plurality of staplestitches through 'said sheet along the direction of'thei'r travel.

26. The 'combinationwith means for cutting a plurality of'sheets from a web and collecting them, of meansfor'assembling' an extra sheet on each side of' the collected sheets, means'for progressing said collected and assembled sheets together along a pathway, and stitching adapted to malre a plurality of staple stitchesthrough said sheet along the direction of their" travel while at rest in said pathway.

In testimony whereof, 'haye signed my nanie to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH SEYM UR- lVitnesses:

JOHN D. M RGAN, Rosn MEU I.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, By addressing the .flom nissioner of Patents, I Washington, D. G. 

